Weekend at the Granger’s
by K-Chan5
Summary: Harry's temper has been really short reacently and he's not sure why. Everytime Dudley makes fun of Hermione, he snaps. Then, Hermione invited Harry, Ron, Lavender and Parvati for a sleepover at her house before school starts. Harry/Hermione fic. Please r
1. Hermione’s Owl

Weekend at the Granger's

Written by K-Chan

Chapter 1: Hermione's Owl

"Say the magic word."

The whole table lurched unpleasantly as Uncle Vernon leapt to his feet. Harry gazed up at him with a slight look of confusion, then struggled to redeem himself.

"No! Wait! I meant 'please'! Dudley asked for the potatoes, I was only trying to be..." Harry sputtered.

He never got to finish his sentence, or his meal for that matter. Uncle Vernon always had the final say, and as Harry found himself on his butt in the hallway, he could hear his uncle hollering,

"WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT USING THAT... THAT... WORD IN MY HOUSE!?! GO! ROOM! STAY!

Sitting up, Harry pushed his round glasses back into a comfortable position. Silently mimicking his large relative, he got to his feet and trudged up the stairs. Harry paused half-way up to examine himself in the mirror. A tall thin boy of about 16 looked back at him. Harry ran a quick hand through his jet-black hair. Darn, he thought, it was getting long again. Time for another haircut.

As he reached the end of the hallway, Harry heard a loud screech. He smiled and opened the door to find Hedwig perched on his bed. Shutting the door behind him, Harry greeted the snowy owl,

"Hey, girl. Did you have a good hunt?"

Hedwig clucked her beak in a proud manner and dropped a letter into his lap. Surprised that he hadn't noticed it before, Harry tore open the envelope and immediately recognized Hermione's tidy handwriting.

__

"Dear Harry, How has your summer been so far? I hope your uncle isn't giving you too much trouble."

Hah, Harry thought. He could handle whatever that old git dished out. Suddenly, his stomach rumbled deeply. Ignoring the pains, Harry frowned and went back to the letter.

__

"He looked most unpleasant the last time I saw him. Anyway, the reason I wrote you this letter. My parents gave me permission to invite some friends over before school starts, and I was wondering if you'd like to come. Lavender and Parvati already said okay, and I'm still awaiting Ron's owl. Please send your reply with Hedwig as soon as possible, my parents want to know how much food to buy. I hope you can come. Love from Hermione."

Taped to the bottom of the letter was a Hershey Kiss. Harry smiled. Unsticking the Kiss, he plopped onto his bed. Laying on his stomach, Harry popped the bit of chocolate into his mouth and stared out the window into the night sky.


	2. Happy Day

Weekend at the Granger's

Written By: K-Chan

Chapter 2: Happy Day

Harry went down to breakfast the next morning feeling much more cheerful. The Dursleys had already started eating and glared at him as he sat down. Harry ignored them as he started on his eggs, he wasn't about to let them ruin his good mood.

Once they had all finished, Uncle Vernon took the opportunity to make an announcement.

"A very important customer for my firm will be stopping by later to pick up some paperwork." He shot a warning glance at Harry. "He doesn't know about you, and it's going to stay that way."

To Uncle Vernon's deep surprise, Harry nodded and cleared his plate. This worried him. What was that boy plotting?

After putting his plate in the sink, Harry turned to his uncle. Vernon's beady little eyes dilated as if expecting to be cursed. Harry smiled on the inside. No matter how much he would have loved to curse his 'beloved' relative, he'd had too much trouble in his previous four years at Hogwarts not to know better. Instead, he decided to take advantage of Uncle Vernon's sudden display of interest.

"Um.. my friend, from school, invited me over to her house. Right before the end of summer. Uh... can I go?"

Uncle Vernon's eyes narrowed.

"Will they come... come like they did... last time?" he spat, as if the mere memory pained him.

Harry suppressed a laugh, remembering when almost the entire Weasley family got stuck in the fireplace.

"No. This is a different friend. And her parents are Mugg... normal. Just like you," he added quickly. What the heck, it couldn't hurt.

The gears turning in Uncle Vernon's head were practically visible as he thought over the situation.

"Fine," he muttered, "But only if they come pick you up. I won't drive all over the countryside just so you can meet with other weirdos."

Harry decided to ignore the last comment. After all, it had taken his uncle much less time to agree than it had with the Weasleys. Probably because Hermione's parents were Muggles, Harry thought as he galloped upstairs. Waking from her nap, Hedwig clucked a greeting as Harry grabbed his quill and parchment.

__

"Dear Hermione,"

He wrote,

__

"My uncle says I can come, as long as you pick me up. We had a bit of a problem when Ron's family came to get me last year, and I don't think he wants to repeat the experience. I'm really excited, can't wait to meet your parents. Thanks for the Hershey Kiss, it saved my life."

He hesitated,

__

"Miss you lots. See you next week. ~Harry"

Hedwig hopped onto his bed as she saw him finish the letter. Handing the bit of parchment to the owl, Harry instructed her to give it to Hermione. Hedwig clamped it tightly into her beak and took off.


	3. Surprise, Surprise

Weekend at the Granger's 

Written By: K-Chan

Chapter 3: Surprise Surprise

Nothing seemed to bother Harry much that week. No matter how mean the Dursleys could act, it never really sank in. Harry was filled with a sense of joy he had never felt before, and he liked it.

The morning the Grangers were coming to pick him up, Harry was happily packing a dufflebag of everything he'd need. He had also began to pack his school things into the trunk, for the day after he got back, school was starting again. While he was throwing some stuff into the bag, Harry heard an unfamiliar noise. He turned to see Dudley standing in his doorway, which was odd, since his plump cousin never came into his room. In fact, Dudley often tried to avoid it.

"Yes?" Harry asked, curious as to why Dudley was showing any interest in him.

Dudley shifted his great weight uncomfortably. Not being able to annoy Harry for the past week was starting to bother him, and he was getting desperate. His piggy eyes scanned the room for something, anything. They finally rested on some photos sitting on the desk. Taking a cautious step into the room, Dudley picked up the picture and turned it around. Smiling up at him was a photo-version of Hermione, her hair as brown and bushy as ever. The little Hermione frowned as she saw it was Dudley holding her frame.

A little surprised, but determined not to be thrown, Dudley sneered at the moving picture,

"Who the heck is this?"

Harry straightened. At full height, he was at least a foot and a half taller than his cousin, who unfortunately was three times his normal bodyweight. Noticing he had struck a nerve, Dudley smiled and continued,

"Oh, is this your friend?" he mocked, "Kinda ugly, isn't she? With all that hair."

Under normal circumstances, Harry's first reaction would have been to think that Dudley was in no position to judge appearances, being that he was wider than he was tall. However, something inside Harry snapped, and before he knew it, he had socked Dudley right in the face. Staring at Harry with an amazed expression and holding his bruised mouth, Dudley scrambled to his feet and hurried off.

Having surprised even himself, Harry slowly bent over and picked up the photo from where Dudley had dropped it. Photo-Hermione beamed at him as he put the picture on the desk.

That night, after dinner, Harry returned to his room nursing a bruised cheek. No matter how much they hated him, the Dursley's had never hit him before. Wishing desperately he had a bag of ice, Harry decided that he did, indeed deserve it. After all, he hit Dudley first. Though, not without good reason, after all, Dudley had insulted one of his best friends. However, Harry usually had better judgment than that. What had gotten into him?

Rubbing his cheek, Harry watched Hedwig fly through the window and drop a letter on his head. Sitting on the bed, he opened the envelope and read:

__

"Dear Harry,

I got your message and am very glad you can come. Ron said he can come too, but will be a little late, since there were some complications getting my fireplace connected to the Floo Network. Anyway, we'll come get you tomorrow before noon. Be ready.

Love from Hermione."

Taped to this letter were two Hershey Kisses with a P.S. under them.

__

"I'm glad the Kiss helped. Here's two more."

Harry smiled. He rested the letter on the desk and got ready for bed.


	4. Away from the Dursleys

Weekend at the Granger's 

Written By: K-Chan

Chapter 4: Away from the Dursleys

The next day, Harry's face was still a little black and blue, much to his disappointment. Getting dressed quickly, he hurried down for breakfast. The Dursleys glared at him, as usual, but this morning it was extra harsh. Dudley seemed to whimper as Harry sat down. They ate in silence. Once he had finished, Harry rose to clear his plate.

"Harry's got a girlfriend," Dudley blurted out unexpectedly.

Harry spun around angrily and made as if to say something, but stopped, seeing the warning look on Uncle Vernon's face.

"That's why he hit me," Dudley continued, a little braver. He knew Harry wouldn't dare try anything with Uncle Vernon around. There was an awkward moment of silence.

"She's not my girlfriend," Harry said, the urge to slug Dudley welling up inside of him, "Just a friend from school."

There was another awkward silence before Harry looked at the clock and ran upstairs. Five minutes later, the doorbell rang. Uncle Vernon answered it and glared down over his large bulk at the skinny man and brown-haired girl in front of him. Hermione gasped in surprise as she saw him standing there, filling the doorframe. Her father, who was behind her, gulped.

"Uh... is Harry there?" Hermione asked uncertainly.

"Here, here," Harry called as he descended that staircase, his bag on his shoulder. Uncle Vernon stepped aside to let his nephew slide through. Harry greeted Hermione with a wave and quickly introduced the two men.

"Uh, Uncle Vernon, this is Mr. Granger. Mr. Granger, my uncle, Vernon Dursley."

Uncle Vernon nodded curtly, almost as if to get the whole situation over faster. There was a bit of an tense silence before they all said a quick good bye and departed.

"He's even worse that I remembered," Hermione said as the got into the car.

She gasped as she spotted his bruise,

"What happened?"

Harry tried to dismiss the subject, for he really didn't want to tell her the real reason. Covering his cheek with his hand, he said,

"Oh, it was nothing."

The car ride to Hermione's house was the most enjoyable two hours Harry had experienced in many weeks. He and Hermione discussed their summers and what had happened. As usual, Hermione was having a much better time, and had finished all her homework one week into break.

"I was rather disappointed when I finished it," she said. Harry laughed. This was much better than the Dursleys.


	5. The Grangers

Weekend at the Granger's 

Written By: K-Chan

Chapter 5: The Grangers

When they arrived at the Granger's house, Hermione introduced Harry to her mother, who was cooking.

"Mom, this is Harry Potter," Hermione said once they entered the kitchen.

"Pleased to meet you. Hermione's told us so much about you," Mrs. Granger said as she shook his hand. Harry smiled, it was so nice to meet people that didn't already know all about you. Before they left, he quickly surveyed the kitchen. It was very much like Aunt Petunia's kitchen, yet warmer and friendlier, like Mrs. Weasley's.

Hermione showed Harry the guest room with two beds where he and Ron would be staying. Harry dropped his bag on one of the beds and followed her back downstairs. Hermione froze as she hit the last step, causing Harry to bump into her.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Hermione shook her head,

"Oh no, I thought she left already." Seeing his perplexed face, she continued,

"My grandmother. She's been with us for the last two weeks, but was leaving today. I thought so at least."

Harry shrugged.

"That's okay, I don't mind meeting your grandmother."

Hermione shook her head again,

"No, but she doesn't take kindly to new people. And she's very judgmental."

No sooner had she spoken, than the quiet hum of voices from the kitchen grew. They got louder and louder as the gray-haired woman entered the hallway.

"Hermione, my dear, there you are," she said as she spotted them on the stairs. "And who is this?" She said the last part rather harshly.

Harry gulped as the old lady looked at him.

She examined him for about a minute. A very very long minute.

"This is Harry. Remember? My friend from school?" Hermione offered, trying desperately to break the awkward silence.

"Bit of a scruffy fellow, isn't he?" Grandma Granger said, her eyes pouring over his large clothes.

Harry blushed with embarrassment. He had forgotten he was wearing Dudley's old clothes, which were still way too big for him. While this normally wouldn't bother him, standing here on the steps at the Granger house, Harry was suddenly painfully aware of his ragged appearance.

Shifting her weight uncomfortably, Hermione looked at Harry, waiting for a reaction. Seeing his face turn red, she grabbed his hand and led him into the safety of the kitchen.

"Let's go see if Mom needs help with dinner, okay?"


	6. Giggly Girls and Board Games

Weekend at the Granger's 

Written By: K-Chan

Chapter 6: Giggly Girls and Board Games

"Oh, Harry. I'm sooo sorry about that!" Hermione apologized for the tenth time. "My grandmother's usually not that bad."

"It's okay," Harry lied, not wanting her to feel any worse than she already did.

All of a sudden, the doorbell rang. Mrs. Granger went to answer it. From the kitchen, Harry could hear girls giggling. He didn't like giggling. It reminded him of when he asked Cho to the Yule Ball in fourth year. Seconds later, Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil entered the room, carrying sleeping bags.

"Hi Harry, hey Hermione," Lavender said.

The three girls exchanged quick hugs and started talking rapidly. Harry couldn't understand a word they were saying. If this was how girls normally acted around each other, it was gonna be along night. He found himself wondering when Ron would get there. Harry was jerked back into reality as Hermione poked him.

"Uh, wha?" he sputtered.

"We're going into the living room," Hermione said, as Lavender and Parvati ran upstairs to drop off their bags.

The girls came back down and the four of them situated themselves on the living room floor. Hermione had gathered a collection of Muggle games and was passing them around.

"Here," she handed Harry 'Hungry Hungry Hippos.'

"Reminds me of Dudley," he said, looking down at the illustration on the cover.

After a few more minutes of looking through the games, they decided on 'Kids Monopoly.' Parvati opened the box and set out the board.

"I'll be banker," Hermione said as she separated the money into piles and began to dish out the correct amount to every player. Harry examined the plastic green car which was suppose to represent him. He couldn't quite remember the rules, since it had been so long since his last game, and Dudley had always cheated anyway. Luckily for him, neither did Lavender or Parvati, having come from wizard homes, so Hermione did a quick run-through of the rules.

Ten minutes into the game, Harry was losing spectacularly. To his luck, he had landed on 'Spaceship Ride,' 'Merry-go-Round,' and 'Cotton-Candy Stand,' all of which were owned by Parvati. She smiled broadly as he hander her a large wad of game money.

"Hermione, dinner!"

They all got up and headed into the kitchen as Mrs. Granger announced the meal. Sitting down at the table, Harry noticed that they had ordered pizzas. He could have sworn he saw Mrs. Granger cooking something earlier, but that thought was soon cast out by the act of eating.

After dinner, they completed the game. Parvati had won by quite a bit, and Harry had defiantly lost. While they were cleaning up, Lavender looked through Hermione's movie collection.

"Hey, Hermione! Let's watch a movie!" she suggested. Hermione agreed, so the girls searched through the large piles for the appropriate video. Harry got this odd sense of foreboding. Three girls. One guy. He was out-numbered. This was _defiantly_ going to be a chick-flick.

While they searched through the pile, the Grangers came in to bid them goodnight. Mrs. Granger seemed a little reluctant to leave them there, making Harry a tad uncomfortable. What was she thinking was going to happen? He shook his head, trying to remove the bad mental image. Once Hermione's parents were gone, Parvati suggested another game.

"Let's play 'Truth or Dare.'"


	7. Truth or Dare (Come on, don't give me th...

Weekend at the Granger's 

Written By: K-Chan

Chapter 7: Truth or Dare (Oh come on, don't give me that look. You knew this chapter was coming.)

Harry had a bad feeling about this game. After a brief explanation of the rules, Lavender started.

"Hermione, Truth or Dare."

Hermione thought for a minute before saying "Truth." Lavender had her describe an embarrassing moment.

"Well," Hermione said, "in our first year, I was walking down a staircase. You know, the one by the kitchens, and I got my foot stuck in the trick stair. I dropped my books and they went all over the staircase. It took forever before I got my foot out."

Lavender nodded, seeming satisfied. Hermione turned to Parvati.

"Parvati. Truth or Dare."

Parvati chose Dare and ended up walking into the kitchen backwards with her eyes closed. After running into almost everything, she returned and sat back down.

"Harry," she said, "Truth or Dare."

He jumped slightly, a little surprised. Truth? he thought. No, that could be anything. Better be...

"Dare."

"Okay," Parvati pondered, trying to think of a good dare. She smiled then said,

"Harry, I dare you to kiss Hermione."

Harry gulped and turned bright red.

"What kind of dare is that?" Hermione sputtered, also a little red.

Parvati shrugged. Thinking rapidly, Harry came to a conclusion. It's only a game, no shame in backing out. Wait, he thought. They'd all make fun of him... Harry Potter can't play a stupid Muggle game. He's too chicken. She hadn't been very specific, he continued. He could just kiss Hermione on the cheek. Yeah, that's it. 

He leaned over and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. Hermione, surprised, turned a darker shade of red.

"Okay, Lavender..." he started, trying to ignore his beet-red face.

"No, no, no," Parvati interrupted, "that doesn't count."

Harry frowned. Parvati smiled. Hermione couldn't find words to express her state of confusion.

"Okay, fine," Harry muttered, causing Parvati to smile, if possibly, even broader.

Shifting from his seated position, Harry moved to his knees and leaned toward Hermione. Very _very_ slowly, he leaned closer and closed his eyes. With ever inch, Harry's face grew redder. Hermione, at loss for words, just sat there and shut her eyes. Parvati and Lavender watched with baited breath as they got closer.. closer...

BAM!

Harry opened his eyes and looked over to find Ron and Mr. Weasley climbing out of the fireplace. Ron froze as he surveyed the scene. Harry sat back quickly and Hermione looked away to mask her embarrassment.

"Where have you been?" she asked Ron, trying to hide her face.

"Had quite a bit of trouble getting your fireplace connect to the Floo Network," Mr. Weasley explained, "then kept getting the wrong house. You'd be surprised how many names sound like 'Granger.' Must have had to perform twenty memory charms tonight. Ooh! Muggle games!" He spotted the pile of boardgames and picked one up, examining the box.  


"Uh, Hermione?" 

They all turned to see Mr. and Mrs. Granger standing behind them, wearing bathrobes. Hermione quickly introduced them to Mr. Weasley, who then, saying he must get going, Disapperated with a pop.

"Maybe it's time to get to bed," Mrs. Granger said, and they all obeyed.

Quickly cleaning the remains of dinner, they made their way upstairs. From the guestroom, Harry and Ron could hear the girls giggling loudly in Hermione's room. As they each got into bed, Ron said, in a quiet, sing-song voice,

"Harry likes Hermione."

Harry shot him a death-glare.

"What are you talking about?"

"Who do you think you're fooling?" Ron replied, "You're an open book."

He ran a hand through his red hair before laying down,

"Harry likes Herm... oof."

Harry's pillow hit him in the head before he could finish.


	8. Back to Privet Drive

Weekend at the Granger's

Written By: K-Chan

Chapter 8: Back to Privet Drive

The next morning, they were awakened by the smell and sound of bacon sizzling. Harry and Ron got dressed quickly and hurried downstairs. The girls were already seated at the table, and Mrs. Granger was dishing out scrambled eggs. She said good morning as they sat down.

The conversation that morning was quiet. Everyone was tired from the night before. Harry noticed that, for some odd reason, Hermione was avoiding his gaze.

Shortly after they were done eating, Lavender and Parvati left. They were riding the Muggle bus home and needed to buy tickets. Ron left shortly after them, when his Dad arrived to pick him up.

After dragging his father away from a nearby stack of magazines, Ron gave his good-byes.

"Bye Hermione, later Harry," he said as he climbed into the fireplace, "see you on the train."

He smiled at Harry, giving him a teasing look, then jumped into the flame and was gone.

Harry flushed. He knew what Ron was thinking. Fortunately for him, Hermione didn't. In fact, she hadn't even noticed. After hastily packing his stuff, Harry hopped into the backseat of Mr. Granger's Honda, next to Hermione.

The car ride back to the Dursley's was a quiet one, because, as was earlier stated, everyone was rather tired. Gazing out the window, Harry felt his eyes droop. He was sleepier than he thought. Resting his head against the back of the seat, he closed his eyes. Seconds later, he was awoken by a sudden weight against his arm. Blinking with surprise, Harry noticed that Hermione had fallen asleep and was now leaning against him, her head on his shoulder. Despite the loss of circulation to his right arm, Harry had to admit that he didn't mind. Listening to her quiet, even breaths, he went back to sleep.

Both were shaken awake by the sharp turn into the Dursley's driveway. Harry's glasses were knocked off his face as he jerked awake. Picking them off the floor, he thanked Mr. Granger for the ride and grabbed his dufflebag. Hermione walked him to the door.

"Thanks again for inviting me," he said as they approached the stoop.

"Oh, you're welcome," she replied, "it was lot's of fun."

Harry hesitated, something didn't seem right. 

"Oh, and sorry about last night," he added.

"What?"

"You know, the kiss."

Hermione looked down,

"Oh, yeah. That."

There was an awkward silence while she stared intently at her feet.

"Actually," she continued slowly, "I was wondering why you stopped."

Harry was shocked. That _defiantly_ was not the answer he was expecting.

"Well… uh… Ron appeared, and… uh… it just didn't seem right."

Hermione's head snapped back, her surprised gaze meeting his,

"What do you mean?"

Harry shifted his weight,

"You know… it didn't seem to be for the right reasons. It was a dare," he looked away, "I was actually kinda hoping it was a different situation so it would have meant more."

Hermione's shocked and slightly angry gaze melted at the last response. She smiled and threw her arms around his neck.

"Oh, Harry. That was so sweet."

He returned the smile and wrapped his arms around her back. Harry hesitated for a second, then leaned forward and kissed her. Hermione returned the kiss and the two of them stood there, arm in arm. Eventually, Hermione had to return to the car, so she leaned back and gazed into his sparkling green eyes. Harry smiled, she looked speechless, but at the same time, like she had released a heavy burden. Slowly, they broke the hug and Hermione turned to go, her face positively beaming.

"See you on the train," he said, wishing she didn't have to go.

"Yes, see you then," she smiled.

When Hermione returned to the car, her father raised an eyebrow, but said nothing as they backed out of the driveway.

Harry waved until they were out of sight. Reaching for the doorknob, he noticed Dudley's fat head pressed against the window, oogling at him. But Harry didn't care, that didn't matter anymore. Hermione Granger liked him. And that was all that mattered.


	9. Epilogue

Weekend at the Granger's

Written By: K-Chan

Epilogue

Ron pushed his huge cart containing his trunk and mini owl onto Platform 9 ¾. He had been looking forward to the resume of classes. But mostly, he wanted to talk to Harry, get all the juicy details of the other night. Leaving his trunk in the back of the train, where the luggage was being loaded, he grabbed his school robes and hopped into the train bathroom. Emerging minutes later, in his brand new robes (since only he and Ginny were in Hogwarts, his mother could afford to buy him new robes), Ron wandered down the aisle, looking in each cabin for his friends.

He passed Colin Creevy, a 4th year, who was showing off his new instant camera to a group of friends. In the next cabin over, he found Harry and Hermione. Both were asleep and Hermione was leaning against Harry, knocking his glasses askew. Ron couldn't help feeling a small pang of jealousy, after all, it was a widely know fact that he had always held a crush on Hermione. However, he felt happy seeing his friends like this. He had known all along that Hermione liked Harry, he'd known right from their first meeting on this very train, when she had fixed his broken glasses.

Sighing slightly, he got an idea. This could be a nice picture, and maybe useful for a little blackmail in the future. He leaned into the neighboring cabin and asked Colin to borrow his camera.

Watching photo-Harry and Hermione come into focus on the bit of paper in his hand, Ron smiled. He'd have to move on, after all, Hermione chose Harry, not him. A fellow 5th year rushed past him in the aisle. Leaning back to see who it was, Ron pocketed the picture. 

"Hey, Lavender!" he called, trying to catch up.

-The End-


End file.
